Already traditional abroad, this event arrives (and establishes itself) in Brazil and Argentina. And it will not stop there

October 10, 2017 - Why is it that off-road culture, which has been a tradition for decades in countries like the United States and Russia, has not yet been established in Latin America, a continent with one of the greatest diversity of natural environments in the world? In the USA, Jeep Experiences (yes, they happen every year!) Bring together jeepers and other off-road lovers in a quasi-religious communion with nature: everyone sharing the same ideal, enjoying the local energies and winning natural challenges together. It is a beautiful thing to see and feel and only those who have already experienced it know what we are talking about. The most famous of these experiences is probably the Easter Jeep Safari, which happens every year in the Moab desert, in the American state of Utah.

Well, this discrepancy is about to end: Along with the Jeep factory in Goiana (Brazil), the Jeep spirit has arrived in Brazil and throughout Latin America to stay, and now the Jeep Experience is also part of the package.

The idea behind the Jeep Experience is for participants to have the opportunity to get to know the most beautiful natural sights on board an appropriate vehicle and in harmony with the local flora and fauna. "Jeep, which helped explore part of Brazil between the 1950s and 1970s, is now back on its vocation of providing customers with a range of eco-tourism opportunities", says Sérgio Ferreira, FCA Commercial director for Latin America.

In Brazil, there have been three editions, the most recent one at the beginning of this month, in the sensational (and wild) Jalapão State Park, a conservation unit of integral protection to nature, east of the state of Tocantins. It was a 10-day super-circuit through pristine natural beauties like the golden sand dunes, irresistible waterfalls, crystalline freshwater beaches, lakes and of course off-road trails with challenges that only a Jeep can beat. To experience all of this, you must drive for at least two full days into Jalapão, but each additional day is very welcome.

"We want to provide memorable stories, incredible and original experiences that promote our rich nature, places we are very proud of, places with innovative spirit that generate challenges and a relationship of respect and contact with nature", says Flávia Campelo, a Marketing specialist for Jeep. "The intention is to express the Jeep spirit in people. It’s a time to to externalize what the brand carries, to feel and live what a car can provide in terms of adventure". Flavia defines the Jeep Experience as "an off road experience where we do the challenge on a real Jeep": "It is an experience that gives the person the true Jeep spirit and provide the four pillars of the brand (which are authenticity, freedom, passion and adventure) in great moments of experience with the car", she explains.
The two previous editions were documented as book reports, written by the journalist Chico Barbosa. The first edition, which covered 2,000 km in 12 days in the Chapada Diamantina (Bahia) is described in the book "Sertão Adentro", while the book "Cerrado Vibrante" tells the story of the second edition, which happened in Chapada dos Guimarães (Mato Grosso do Sul) as part of Jeep's 75th anniversary celebrations around the world. The two books are beautiful and richly illustrated with images by photographer Marcos Camargo. The adventures are told in detail (with maps) and as you begin to go through it, you feel like reading the whole thing from start to finish and then take the trip just to get off the road!
We've put together four spectacular videos to show Jeep Experience editions in Brazil and Argentina so far.

Jeep Experience Jalapão

In this video you'll see all the exuberance of the Jeep Experience in Jalapão.

Jeep Experience Chapada dos Guimarães

This edition launched the 75 years Special Series of Jeeps Wrangler, Grand Cherokee and Renegade.

Jeep Experience Chapada Diamantina

Jeep Experience Chapada Diamantina Cenas impressionantes da primeira

Jeep Experience Patagônia

The Jeep Experience in Jalapão was divided into three groups, with 20 influencers and 27 journalists in total (14 of them from other Latin American countries). Among the influencers were Penelope Nova, Mohindi, Flavio Samelo, Felipe Solari, Dre Guazzelli, Eliane Dias, Viviane Duarte, Bibi Campos and Attila Ximenes. Some of the journalists were Felipe Blumen, Juliano Ceglia, Rafael Mohamad Hindi who was also there and prepared a special dish with only natural ingredients he found on site.

Visit our Jeep Facebook page to see the testimonials! This was the Jeep Experience with more repercussions on social media, even though in the early days participants didn’t even have internet signal there! With this select team of participants, the Brazilian edition in Jalapão had wide repercussions. At the closing of this text, in addition to nine Facebook posts and 13 on Jeep's official Instagram page, the 47 participating journalists and influencers posted 246 posts, not counting the 168 other publications that came out in the press about the event. And we're just talking about Facebook and Instagram! Only in these two social networks, therefore, there were 436 specific posts published about the Jeep Experience in Jalapão, which generated 345,600 interactions and more than 1.8 million views. This was the Jeep Experience with more repercussion in social media, even though the participants did not even have internet signal there!

The participants left Palmas, the capital of Tocantins, through Novo Acordo, where they stopped for lunch, then heading to the Bela Vista Fervedouro and Formiga waterfall. They visited the Cooperativa das Artesãs do Capim Dourado and arrived at night in Mateiros, where they stayed. The next morning they visited the Dunas Douradas do Jalapão and Prainha before returning to Palmas. "More than half the trip was 100% off-road", says Flavia.”

"Jalapão has incredible natural beauty", acknowledges Flavia. Coincidentally, the new soap opera on Globo also takes place there. The place is already wonderful on TV, so imagine living it personally, aboard a Jeep...

"Even more important than the strict evaluation of the Renegade and the Compass, what really counted was visiting incredible places, making connections with people and nature. Not through apps or digital photos, but live, in color", says Ricardo Dilser, FCA technical advisor in Latin America, who also participated in the adventure. "Looking at all the beauty of Jalapão and knowing that you got there with a real SUV, a 4x4 in fact, a grassroots Jeep, has us rethink the whole relationship with the automobile. A Jeep is much more than a means of transportation, it's your travel partner, your armor, your faithful squire".

"The plan now is to expand the Jeep Experience to all those off road adventure lovers who share the Jeep spirit", reveals Flavia.